The Other Wes Moore: Chapter 1

In chapter one, both Wes Moore's are introduced. Wes Moore, the author, and Wes Moore the criminal are the main focus of the story. It starts off by telling an event that happened when the author Wes was a child. The author Wes only has two memories of his father. The first one is explained. He and his sister were playing around and he ended up hitting her. His mother saw him and immediately let him know that he was in the wrong and sent him to his room. His father comes up stairs to comfort him, and Wes tells why his mother was so upset with him. His mother was mentally, physically, and emotionally abused by her previous husband. She explained to Wes that a man should never lay his hands on a woman, and Wes never laid his hands on another girl. The other memory Wes had was that of his father's death. This would have been a traumatic time for Wes, but being only 3 years old, he didn't really know what was going on. Wes's father suffered from a condition that could have been treated if he had been diagnosed properly, but the doctors just blew him off. That night, his father passed away.
The other Wes Moore had a slightly different story. Wes never met his father, and his father decided to walk out. His mother, Mary, was his only provider. She had a job as a secretary and it provided enough to keep the family going, but she knew that it wouldn't last. Mary got pregnant with her first son at sixteen, and promised her mother that she would attend college. However her mother's kidneys were failing and she passed away from a failed kidney transplant. Mary's grandparents then moved in to help Mary and her siblings. Mary then got remarried and had one child, but the relationship did not last and Mary was left alone to raise two children. Mary's second husband once tried to help, but he reeked of alcohol and was obviously drunk so Mary did not let him interfere.
Wes Moore and Wes Moore come from similar neighborhoods, and they both live with only their mother. They could have easily had the same story, but one had more encouragement and determination than the other.